Ulmer said he believes that Pininfarina-designed Ferraris should not be, as he puts it, “condemned to a life in dark and dusky garages instead of being admired in an inviting ambience.”

We agree. They are meant to be driven and/or displayed.

But, like a lot of artists, Ulmer knows that it's a lot easier to be provocative than it is to create art with real value. He's just a guy with an angle grinder, cutting up Ferrari bodies and hanging them on a wall in front of a lightbulb.

Why not cut up a replica? Ulmer says, “Only the original possesses the aura of Pininfarina's design, to whom this is an homage.”

Ulmer has already removed a 1964 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 body and a 1969 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 body from the short list of extant vintage Ferrari bodies. Since people are encouraging him by purchasing his work, Ulmer said he plans to offer a 250 GTE and a 400i in the near future.

To be fair, these art projects started with bodies that past owners previously removed. But, the fact remains that these Pininfarina shapes are not likely to move under power again, and that is a tragedy.

Just think of what a LeMons team could do with a genuine Pininfarina Ferrari body, a cutting torch, a case of Natural Ice and a Chevrolet S-10. The result might not be exactly what Enzo intended, but at least it wouldn't be hanging on a wall in someone's house, never to be looked upon by the eyes of the unwashed again.

Thanks to the excellent Ralf Becker for directing us to this incredibly depressing story.

Rory Carroll
- Rory Carroll is a graduate of Michigan State University, a concours d’elegance and vintage-racing hanger-on and a past winner of the Index of Effluency Trophy at the 24 Hours of LeMons.
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